A Leap of Faith Hiatus
by Cherry Bon Bon
Summary: When Mary finally finds an opportunity to escape without sacrificing anyone she cares dearly about, she takes a leap of faith. Garry, 19, is an art student who just can't think of art without thinking of the traumatising incident that happened a year ago. Ib, 10, is a girl who simply wants to get out of her nightmare by making the people she cares about happy. [AU] [Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1: A Leap of Faith

Author: Sorry for any mistakes. This is a... Change of Heart ending? It's not in the game if that's what you're asking. I apologise for the length as well.

_Chapter One: A Leap of Faith_

She finally did it.

Without sparing a second though to the crazed man laughing in front of her, yelling words she never seemed to understand, Mary quickly exited the room. With the Pink Key ready in her hands as she gleefully made her way out of the toy box and into the Sketchbook, she was so close to being free. Involuntary shudders ripped through her petite body as she heard boisterous laughter come from the toy box, and she quickened her pace out of pure fear.

And she thought she was considered mad.

Mary had done her usual, luring this victim through the hallways and eventually pushing him in the Toy Box, as she did to the other victims. However he seemed different, and his eyes acquired a glint she had seen in most victims, and he immediately dashed for her, managing to actually grab hold of her and start feeling her in ways that made her scream for help and thrash around, while he was yelling words that were foreign to her, but his tone made sense to her. If it weren't for her toys sacrificing themselves to save her, she would not have been running right now.

Running from a devil who snapped from the Gallery's dark influences. A small whimper escaped her as she tripped and fell, before quickly scrambling up and running once again. Anything to get out of there.

Dashing towards the Pink Building, she slotted the key in and threw open the door, tossed the key aside as she closed the door, and locked it. Wilting, she let out a frustrated cry as her crazed mind made her hear fists slamming on the door, demanding entry. Terrified beyond words, she simply picked up her skirts and dashed round the corner and down the stairs, letting out a yelp as she tripped over a step and rolled down, down and down. She screamed as she hit the wall, saw stars and furrowed her eyebrows, before getting up and frowning.

Paintings never felt pain... Then why did she...?

Shaking her head as to clear her mind, she made her way towards the mural, and bounced on the balls of her feet, anxiously waiting for the frame to disappear, the mere presence of the mural calming her down. However, the illusion was shattered as she heard the sound of someone descending down the stairs. The second the frame completely disappeared, she took a leap of faith, before landing on a white flooring, humans surrounding her.

She was free.

* * *

"Garry White! Come see me this instant!" The lilac-haired teen winced, reluctantly standing up and heading towards the teacher's desk, much to the amusement of those around him. He was used to them snickering every single time he was being called up by the teacher anyway, since it occurred rather often, as much as he disliked admitting it. His beloved coat bellowed from behind him, the edges frayed just for fashion.

He still couldn't fathom as to why the teacher liked to see him so much, though.

When he reached his teacher's desk, he bowed as politely as he could, while she gave him a look of disapproval and... Was that concern? Yet another mystery on his hands. Clicking her tongue, she said calmly as she pulled out his submission for this week's assignment.

"The theme provided for this assignment is Escape," she muttered as she gently placed his canvas onto the easel. His eyes softened as he reminisced the effort and time he dedicated to it. Soft curls of blonde hair framing her heart shaped face and spilling down her shoulders, sparking cerulean eyes that reflected relief, yellow roses for the border she escaped from and broken glass on the rosy frame as well as on the ground. Yes, he had painted Mary climbing out of her portrait for the very first time. Yes, he knew that he did a very good job here, his high score said it all. But why was he called forward?

"I'm very sorry, teacher. But what is wrong with it?" He questioned meekly, confused. Sighing, the teacher simply replied by pulling out another painting of his, with the theme 'serenity'. A bed of yellow roses blown in various under a cloudy blue sky, their petals flying as though they were snow themselves. Eyes closed with the most peaceful expression he could ever paint, her face slightly flushed with life. Her golden hair fanned all around her like sun rays, a soft smile was painted on her lips. A golden rose was on her chest, clutched tightly by her. Again, a lot of time and effort dedicated to this piece.

"Erm, what about it now...?" On cue, yet another piece was shown, and he nearly felt his heart break with the "betrayal" theme. Angry, confused tears ran down her cheeks, her hands clenched into fists and seemingly banging against the canvas surface itself. Her mouth was agape as if crying "Why?!", and her nose and cheeks were flushed red from crying. Her eyes were darkened, and full of confusion. He even included those dolls he hated so much, the eerie mannequin heads, and the Death of the Individual statues in the background of the painting. All in all, it looked as though he was giving her up to the darkness, never to see the light again.

It was the hardest piece that he had ever painted, mainly because it struck a heartstring. Garry shakily took a deep breath to regain his composure.

His gaze traveled from the canvas to the teacher, who was staring at him with an intensity akin to understanding and he laughed nervously, sweatdropping.

The gallery from a year ago still haunted him, after all. The little blonde had taken his rose, and even attempted to play "Loves me not" with it, but after a glance at his nearly broken self and a sobbing Ib, she somehow threw the blue rose in their direction, before smiling sadly and leading them to the Fabricated World and ensuring their exit to freedom. Back to normal human society.

After all, she wasn't one of them.

Unlike him and Ib, she wasn't human. But even though the gallery took its toll on her sanity, she proved that moment that she could feel as well.

Ib had begged for Mary to come with them, but the little blonde merely shook her head, explaining that if one enters the twisted gallery, only one could escape. Despite that, the little brunette adamantly insisted on staying to sacrifice herself; it took Mary to push her back into Garry's arms and for him to drag her away and into the painting. Mary gave a small wave, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

She would be one of the few paintings he would truly respect. Mary, the only truth speaker in the Liar's room, the Fishing Hook, the Eternal Blessing, and the Fisherman. After all, sacrifice wasn't easy, especially if you resumed your normal life in exchange for a better one for a person's sake.

Snapping back to reality, he blinked as he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts. The eyes of his teacher was really starting to annoy him, those eyes that bore into his; saying that he was pitiful, that he needed help, that he still wasn't responsible enough-

_No! I'm done with being all that! _He mentally screamed, gritting his teeth. He did not survive that horrific gallery and sacrifice various aspects of himself only to come out as the same exact person! He could most definitely take care of himself; the gallery only served to prove that.

Yes, he had changed. Excusing himself from the teacher and using the bathroom as an excuse to get out of the room before he could punch his teacher, he quickly made his way to the rooftops of the school, smiling when he felt the warm rays of sunlight shine down on him, and made his way over to the section where the roses were grown.


	2. Chapter 2: The Little Doll's Dream

Author: Thank you so much for the reviews! ; w ; And sorry for the short chapters, I have zero talent in writing long ones. I also apologise if it is really unrealistic or cliche or anything, I'm not really good at writing. (^^);  
**ThunderRaptor**: Thank you for being interested in this! This was an idea that actually bloomed in roleplaying, and it refused to go away so I converted it into a story. Well, please continue to enjoy A Leap of Faith!  
** -crew**: Thank you for liking this story, I'm honoured! And yes, I will continue, so stay tuned!  
**ryo**: Really? Thanks a lot! And don't fret, chapter two is here!  
**Chocolatam**: Thank you very much! And chapter two is here so enjoy!  
**toppie**: Promising? I'll make sure to stick to or even raise the standard then, to impress!  
Thanks for the positive reviews, again. I'm really touched. TuT

* * *

_Chapter Two: The Little Doll's Dream_

Walking into the mini rose garden the science club was in charge of, his mood increased substantially. The wind was blowing in his direction, making said plants sway slightly in the wind, to a beat only nature could understand and sending strands of his hair flying. It also served as some form of cooling to prevent him from feeling too warm under the sun. Fingertips calloused from painting and sculpting reached over to touch the soft, fragile petals of the scarlet rose nearest to him, before reaching over to slide his fingers down the stem. He smiled as he was reminded of someone he knew really well. Yes, she was small, she was young, but she was not to be looked upon as a helpless little girl. She was more than able to take care of herself, even. Her scarlet eyes shone with determination as well as wisdom beyond her years, yet her heart as pure as a dove, which was consistent and untainted by the gallery throughout their misadventure.

_Ib..._ He turned to the sky, puffy clouds and a genuine sun shining above him, totally unlike the crayon sketchbook he was in. A fond smile danced across his lips as he recalled the little girl with her luscious brown hair, smiling crimson eyes, a bounce in her steps since she had to be optimistic for both their sakes. He was a natural pessimist; that she knew.

Garry caught a petal as it fluttered to the ground, and held it up to his eyes' height, his photographic memory snapping a picture of the petal, the shading, its everything. He remembered how a fallen petal meant that they were a step closer to death in the real world, and shuddered. Never again would he want to experience the gallery. The dolls locking him in the room, the Ladies half-bursting out of their paintings and scratching their way towards him, the mannequins following them... He blinked confusedly as he felt a flash of pain and glanced down at his palm. In his frustration, he had crushed the petal, and it was now crumpled beyond repair. A sigh escaped him as he dropped the scarlet petal, allowing it to float to the ground as he walked off towards the exit, mood dampened by the fact that he had skipped the rest of class, and was soon going to be reprimanded for his 'reckless behaviour' yet again. Probably throw in a few detentions too, since it wasn't the first time.

But expelled? No way; they couldn't expel their best student yet. He grinned wolfishly as he decided to skip the rest of school as well for a trip to the museum...

_For old time's sake, shall we?_

_A sea of people._

That was all Mary registered as she looked around in her current fear-fuelled state. She was _lost_ in a world so unlike the Fabricated World, and so very foreign to her. White walls, people everywhere, paintings everywhere; it overwhelmed her. Once or twice she bumped into people as she ran for her life around the gallery, unsure of as to where the exit was; all she knew was that _she had to get out of here._ People were talking everywhere, her mind was panicked; voices, sounds surrounding her, colours everywhere.. Was this what it felt like to be in the human world?

Without warning, she stepped on thin air, and she glanced down before letting out a shrill shriek and rolling down the stairs. She vaguely recalled people suddenly getting out of her way before once again, she slammed against the wall. And once again, the sensation of pain was registered, and she had to choke back a sob as she curled up in a ball, and a fraction the pain went away. Better than remaining there, forever thinking about that pain...

_It hurts so much,_ she hazily thought, a whimper escaping her as another flash of pain shot up her spine and her head and she slumped slightly, utterly confused. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel this feeling which would not go away at all? This unrelenting feeling that refused to let her think coherently? It was so similar yet different to the feeling she got when she had to force Ib and Garry to leave. Was it the same? Or was it different? So many questions... And so little answers.

She missed the gallery so much. How the ladies would teach her about new words. How the individuals taught her how to dance. How the stick figure played hide-and-seek with her. How the dolls would encourage her to colour and paint. Here in this new world, she felt so alone and unneeded. Why did she even want to come here anyway? To a place which she would never belong to, where she would always feel left out? Her dream of always entering here was shattered as all these foreign feelings built up between her, and she felt something leak out of her eyes as she just lay there, unwanted, unneeded.

Unnecessary.

"Mary?" A tall and lean shadow suddenly blocked the light shining on her, confusion and incredulity making themselves known in them his voice. She blinked. Once, twice, to check if it was just an illusion, but the shadow wouldn't go away. She then spotted a patch of navy blue out of the corner of her eyes, and her hopes lifted. That voice... She needed to make sure. To confirm that it was him and not a freaky coincidence with someone having an uncanny resemblance to _him._ The logical part of her brain did not seem to be working, but she did not care.

Mary then looked up readily, her cerulean eyes wide with uncertainty, as she craned her neck to look at her visitor that was so familiar to her, before breaking into a relieved smile, knowing that she was finally safe. It was a start in this new world... Even if she was a fake, an imitation, she knew that at least he, would be there for her.

The unrelenting 'pain' seemed to be partially gone now that he was here, she noticed vaguely.

Her saviour.

"Is that you... Garry?"

Her dream was easily mended back together when he nodded and gave her a gentle, before offering a hand to her to help her up.


End file.
